43 Letters I saw a player in some amazing boots… 46 Season in brief L i ve r pool’s f i r s t t i t l e a nd t he beg i nn i ng of t he end for the footballer’s handlebar moustache FEATURES 14 Style council The FA are supposed to have a new national way of playing, but no one seems to want it; the Premier League expand their influence to kids

16 Eye of the needle How the over-reliance on cortisone during the

1970 s a nd 1980 s d amaged pl aye r s ’ hea l t h i n t he long term

18 Sticky situation Completing Panini albums is a job best left to children;theartyalternativetomainstream sticker books

20 Match of the month A pre-season north-east derby provides the perfect opportunity for everyone to chat about SamAllardyce

PAUL THOMPSON

The press box at Victoria Park is packed, but it’s fair to say that few of the journalists have come to see new signing Padraig Amond Hartlepool United v Sunderland p20

26 A link to the past Club historians are vital for placing the game in the wider context of society but not enough c lub s s e em t o c a r e

30 Clothing rail Football shirts used to be for youngsters and the most loyal fans, now they’re ubiquitous

32 Work experience Drawing snooker balls out of socks and tweeting gibberish from your pocket – the life of a volu nte e r i n a c lub ’s PR depa r tment

36 Still with us Maidstone’s spectacular collapse and remarkablereturn

38 Gulf of Naples While i t may appea r t o be I t a l y ’s u l t imate one-club city, way below SSC Napoli there are plenty of historic teams carving out a living